Rose in No-Man's Land

17 Say one thing and mean another?

After leaving the school building, Tao Ye temporarily separated from Xia Xingmian to find a taxi at the school gate. Xia Xingmian, as usual, made her way to the volleyball court to check if it needed cleaning.

Yang Yishan had been following Xia Xingmian since the beginning, still holding the two cups of lukewarm milk tea. Her expression was a mix of turmoil and gloom.

"Senior..." she whispered, her lips moving slightly.

As Xia Xingmian reached the entrance of the court and noticed three volleyballs scattered on the ground, she silently walked over to pick them up.

Taking a deep breath, Yang Yishan said, "I've seen that woman before. Just last month, at a business club, I saw her drinking with a boss. I had gone to bring my dad an umbrella, but the place was chaotic—so chaotic that after just one glance, my dad urged me to leave quickly."

Xia Xingmian picked up a volleyball and aimed for the basket, but the ball bounced off the edge and rolled further away instead.

"Are you... friends?" Yang Yishan asked, clenching her fists so tightly that the milk tea cups trembled.

"I don't mean to pry," she continued, "but someone as remarkable as you shouldn't associate with such disreputable women."

"What do you mean by 'disreputable'?" Xia Xingmian smiled, as if she found it amusing.

Yang Yishan fell silent, not daring to say anything further.

Xia Xingmian picked up the ball again, this time walking patiently to the basket before putting it in. Holding onto the basketball hoop, she turned to Yang Yishan.

"I'm not as exceptional as you think, and she's not as terrible as you believe. It doesn't matter what your opinion is. I understand that you're saying this for my sake, but I don't need to hear about her from someone who has only met her once."

Yang Yishan stood there, momentarily dazed.

After putting the last volleyball into the basket, Xia Xingmian walked towards the school gate without looking back.

Yang Yishan watched her retreating figure, wanting to say something but ultimately holding back, falling silent. Before she realized it, the milk tea in her hand had completely cooled.

Xia Xingmian had always been someone who listened more than she spoke. Her privileged background and striking appearance had accustomed her to compliments from various people.

However, she never felt superior to others because of these attributes. Perhaps it was because she had heard so much praise that she understood that people's evaluations were often based on different perspectives and motives—therefore, not fully trustworthy.

If positive comments can't be entirely trusted, then negative ones certainly cannot be either.

In the eyes of others, Tao Ye might indeed seem like a decadent, fallen, corrupt woman—one who indulges in unclean pleasures and lives a dissolute life. But Xia Xingmian knew that how others perceived Tao Ye was their business, not hers. To her, Tao Ye was someone who braved the wind and snow alone, and willingly held an umbrella for her.

That was enough. All people are not created equal; 'nobility' is always relative.

Xia Xingmian sat in front of the electronic keyboard with a blank expression, tuning the instruments. She still felt a little unsettled about earlier events. While she wouldn't prejudge Tao Ye based on what others said, she couldn't shake off her discomfort at hearing criticisms about someone she cared for.

Suddenly, a light breeze brushed against her as another person sat down on the short bench, rubbing her arm a bit too closely.

"It seems we need to ask Sister Zhao for a longer bench," Tao Ye said with a smile.